Please explain Ephesians 5:31. Why is it just the man whom leaves his mother and father. Why not man and woman?

Ephesians 5:31 says, “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” This, of course, comes from the institution of marriage given by God in Genesis 2:21-24, “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

In reference to the marriage relationship, let’s read from 1 Corinthians 11:3, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” This shows the proper order in the home. The man is not to be domineering and mean. The Lord would never command that one of his own creatures should harm or mistreat another. However, in the home, the man is the head of his wife. We find this same truth in Ephesians 5:23, “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.”

So, as the head of his household, the man is instructed to “leave his father and mother.” He must come out from under the headship of his parents to establish his own family. It would be so wrong for the husband to be led by his parents and then lead his family according to his parents’ instructions. The head of the woman IS NOT her husband’s parents, it is her husband. In view of all this, we must not lose sight of the fact that “the head of every man is Christ.” As the head of his household, the man is to realize that Christ is his head. He should lead his home according to the truths and principles of scripture. (324.4)